This invention relates to a control device for a paper separating claw used in a copier.
There are many copiers which are provided not only with a paper separation charger for effecting an AC corona discharge to erase charge on the copy paper and to thereby separate the paper from the external surface of the photoreceptor but also with a member shaped like a claw which is constantly in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor so that the copy paper is sure to be removed therefrom. When copy paper of standard thickness is used under normal conditions of copying operation such as when paper is fed from the copier's paper feeding cassette, however, the copy paper can be separated from the photoreceptor surface perfectly well with the paper separation charger alone without the use of a claw.
When a special type of copy paper which may be very thin or very thick is supplied from a manual paper feed tray or the like, or when images are transferred onto both sides of a copy sheet in a two-side copying operation, however, the copy paper sometimes cannot be separated completely from the external surface of the photoreceptor by the discharge of the paper separation charger alone. In such a situation, the help of a claw becomes necessary.
With a conventional copier, the claw is always in touch with the photoreceptor surface. Thus, there is a high probability of damage to the photoreceptor surface caused by its contact with the claw and such damage can adversely affect the quality of the produced copies.